26 April 2018
MALACCA: The Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Malacca Branch received the delegation from Sichuan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
The delegation was led by the Deputy Vice President of Sichuan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Tang Jilan.
The delegation went for a visit to Melaka Gateway, Cheng Ho Cultural Center, San Shu Gong local delicacies shop, and the old street. This visit enabled the delegation to have a deeper understanding of the development of Malacca.
The President of the branch, Datuk Lim Kok Ann, stated that Malaysia is a federal state in Southeast Asia and the fourth largest economy in the 10 ASEAN countries. After Singapore withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1965, there are currently 13 states. As it is located in the heart of Southeast Asia, Malaysia has been an important target of China’s maritime trade since ancient times, and is also an important country in the Southeast Asia region in the strategic development of China’s Belt and Road.
Malaysia has launched five major economic corridors—Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECER), Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) and Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE)—to encourage investment in different industries and set preferential policies for the industry.
Malaysia maintains a certain degree of diplomatic relations with all countries in the world. It is an exporter of natural and agricultural resources. The most valuable export material is petroleum. In the past, Malaysia was the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world.
Malaysia’s infrastructure projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative currently include a high-speed railway that starts from Kunming in China’s Yunnan province via Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam respectively, which then join together in Bangkok, Thailand and across Malaysia, and finally reached Singapore. The cooperative relationship between Malaysia and China has made breakthrough progress in recent years. The eye-catching cooperative projects are rebuilding Proton brand and appointing Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, Jack Ma, as the Malaysian Government’s digital economy advisor.
The ancient city of Malacca was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a world heritage site in 2008, and tourism has become the main industry here. Although Portuguese castles and Dutch churches are still places for tourists to take photos, the core of Malacca’s tourism industry is built around Cheng Ho, a Chinese who visited here more than 600 years ago. The places are Bukit Cina (Mountain), Sam Po Temple, and three cultural museums located on a street not far from each other. Of the millions of foreign visitors that Malacca receives every year, the number of visitors from mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong accounts for four of the top five countries or regions.
We are convinced that the Malaysia-China relationship will continue to make breakthroughs. The MCCC including the branches, will fully participate in and cooperate with the Government of Malaysia and China to make greater efforts for the mutual benefit of Malaysia and China.
The Ming Dynasty’s great admiral, Cheng Ho, visited Malacca seven times and established a stable diplomatic relationship between Malacca and even Malaysia and China. The relationship between Malaysia and China is very close because there are frequent exchanges between the government officials of the two countries. It is hoped that Malaysia and China will continue to work together.
